Bubsy 4D Preview: Your next speed-running obsession

While there are a few more modern and recent instalments into the Bubsy series, the wise-cracking bobcat has not been a particularly major name in the gaming space since the 1990s. Naturally, the company that has been attempting to revive this character are retro-specialists Atari, who have instilled the talents of developer Fabraz to create a new chapter that can contend with the best of the platforming genre. This was unveiled in full at Gamescom Opening Night Live's pre-show and became a pretty big hit, with many now clamouring and excited to see more from Bubsy 4D.

First things first, the 4D part of the name is mostly just a daft gag, as you shouldn't expect Smell-O-Vision or something similar to be used and to take immersion to absurd new heights. Nope, this is just a way to continue building on the naming convention that previously included Bubsy 3D back in 1996.

Beyond the quirky name, this is Bubsy back as you know and love him. Fabraz has developed a colourful and vibrant platformer that is designed to be speed-run, made to be played so that you chain the respective moves and abilities together to overcome the challenge of each level as fast as possible. Of course, you don't have to be a speed demon, and you can take things at your own pace, picking up collectibles throughout the level in the same way as you would expect from any platformer, but Bubsy 4D is at its best when you attempt to break the game and do things and reach places that seem unnatural, something the developers confirmed with me during a hands-on session at Gamescom.

The brief demo build I tested (several times admittedly as it was an absolute blast) first included a tutorial to teach the basics of the various mechanics and then let me loose in a wider level where the aim was first and foremost to reach the end flagpole, if you will. There was a short narrative-based cutscene before that set the precedent of the adventure and why Bubsy and his allies are taking to the cosmos this time around, but as this was only short I'll focus more on the gameplay for the sake of this preview.

As you would expect from a modern platformer, Bubsy 4D is chock-full of unique mechanics to master. There is the traditional jumping, leaping, climbing, and gliding you expect, but these systems are matched up with a Monkey Ball-like hairball inflation and roll feature, wall jumping, and ways to then chain these different moves together so you can traverse immense gaps and distances and reach unexpected heights. Fabraz wants you to do unusual and unexpected things, and the move set absolutely encourages and enables you to do these things, promoting creativity at every turn in a way that many modern 3D platformers don't match. And it's super fluid too, never once feeling restrictive and frustrating to play, further buying into the theme that speed-running and setting blistering level times is at the core of this chapter of the series.

Beyond this, you should expect a craft-themed world that has plenty of secrets to discover and ways to expand the adventure by gathering collectibles, including blueprints that offer up an opportunity to add even more moves to Bubsy's kit. There's an upbeat, jazz-heavy soundtrack that matches the style of game, and the cast of characters will do their best to make you chuckle, be it Bubsy himself with satirical and witty comments in gameplay, or hearing Bubsy's allies cracking jokes at the expense of the protagonist.

The point is, while Bubsy 4D doesn't have the resources nor the familiar reach of Super Mario or even more modern titans like Astro Bot, Fabraz has a clear vision for this game, a creative direction that shines through and should allow it to go toe-to-toe with some of the biggest in the genre. It's a great time to be a 3D platforming fan and Bubsy 4D will simply prove that further when it arrives in 2026.